Fishing and Hunting 82, Starting with Three Sisters Who Overprotect Their Brothers

Upon hearing the sound, the old woman and the eldest sister both turned to look at the door, their gazes sharp.

Squad leader Li Yuejin stood there, looking embarrassed.

Behind him followed a shorter, middle-aged man who looked about 70-80% like him; he was none other than his cousin, Li Yuegang.

"Hey, sister-in-law, Dongzi and the others didn't do things quite right."

Li Yuegang's facial muscles stiffened as he handed the can of malted milk powder forward.

"The kids are young and don't know any better. Besides, they've been playing with Shanzi since they were little. This time they've been blinded by greed. When that bastard comes back, I'll make him come and apologize."

In the 1980s, malted milk powder was a truly high-end product.

Its status was comparable to that of canned fruit; it was a symbol of preciousness and prestige, and it was a scarce non-staple food item of the supply and marketing cooperatives. In many cases, even if you had money and coupons, you couldn't buy it.

Using it as an apology carries an alarming weight.

Having lived two lives, Zhang Wenshan instantly sensed something was wrong and was about to stop them.

"We can't afford something that costs three or four yuan and requires a ticket," Xu Xiulian said coldly, without even raising her hand.

You're awesome, Mom.

Zhang Wenshan secretly admired him, thinking that it was truly not easy to resist the temptation of a can of malted milk powder.

"Sister-in-law, what's there to be ashamed of? Dongzi made a mistake, you have to accept it." Before Li Yuegang finished speaking, he suddenly lunged forward, trying to shove the jar into his mother's arms.

Force them to accept an apology?

What about the face?

Zhang Wenshan's expression turned slightly cold. He raised his arm, but his older sister pressed it down.

"You old geezer, what do you want?"

Zhang Fengxia stepped between the two, standing like a wall, not making a move, but coldly staring at the other party.

Li Yuegang's hand, which was stuffing something into his mouth, hung suspended in mid-air, unsure whether to go forward or backward. Pulling against his sister-in-law was one thing, but…

He turned his head helplessly: "Brother, look at this."

We can't just abandon our own brothers. Li Yuejin sighed heavily: "Shanzi, we're all from the same village, we'll run into each other all the time. Let's leave Dongzi a way to survive."

My third son means that the fishing and hunting team is short of people, isn't it?

Dongzi is willing to join and will receive more fees.

After this incident, Li Dong became infamous throughout the village.

Who would dare to get involved if someone were selling products under another person's name?

To turn things around, unless Zhang Wenshan forgives Pie He, it would be best if the two of them could work together and portray the incident as a quarrel between the two brothers.

"Bullshit!" Xu Xiulian roared, showing no mercy whatsoever. "Li Dong has any shame, but my fourth son doesn't..."

She was about to recount all the grievances her son had suffered over the years when Li Yuegang interrupted her.

"Sister-in-law, I'm only thinking of you. Dongzi is out there, his fate unknown. What if something happens to him..."

As soon as she finished speaking, Xu Xiulian's face changed drastically. It felt as if she had been hit in the chest with a hammer, and she almost lost her balance.

If something really happens, my son will be finished too. Driving someone to death is a serious crime.

Zhang Fengxia panicked as well, clutching the hem of her clothes and whispering, "Should I... go to the fields and call Dad back?"

"Yes, yes, yes!" A triumphant smile instantly appeared on Li Yuegang's face. "Such a big matter needs the men to make the decision."

Zhang Jianshe, that taciturn fellow, is easy to fool.

Since it concerns the only son in the family, I doubt he would dare to cause any trouble!

"I think we should call the police," Zhang Wenshan said lazily, taking two slow steps forward and shielding his mother and older sister behind him.

"What?"

Not only Li Yuegang, but everyone was shocked.

The old woman and her eldest sister's hands were tightly clasped together. They wanted to speak but were afraid of making things worse, so they forced themselves to remain calm.

Because of the 1970s, people nowadays are reluctant to disturb the police, even if they are in the right, they are still afraid of them.

In addition, given the nature of a society based on personal connections, reporting to the police is tantamount to breaking off relations, slapping the entire brigade in the face, and demonstrating that the cadres are incompetent.

Unless it's murder or arson, no one will bother to make a fuss.

"Shanzi, stop fooling around." Li Yuejin was the first to come to his senses, his voice becoming sharp.

He led a group of people to apologize, which ended up alarming the officers in charge of public security.

The squad leader really did his job to the very end.

"Why wouldn't it be that serious?" Zhang Wenshan said calmly. "Uncle Li, you're a brigade cadre, can't you tell the difference between what's important and what's urgent? Finding the person is the priority, of course!"

As he spoke, he took a step to walk outside.

"No, no, no!" Li Yuejin was terrified and grabbed Zhang Wenshan's arm tightly. "He's hiding at his aunt's house, perfectly fine, nothing's wrong with him."

"Oh, so you're trying to scam us?"

"You heartless bunch."

Xu Xiulian completely lost it. She grabbed the shovel leaning against the wall and swung it at him.

"Sister-in-law, it's a misunderstanding, it's all a misunderstanding."

The Li brothers fled in panic, running a long way before stopping, leaning on their knees and panting heavily.

Why are you telling the truth?

"I'm not going to tell anyone I'm calling the police!"

"Go ahead and report it! As long as Dongzi is alright."

Upon hearing this, Li Yuejin's eyes widened, staring intently at his younger brother as if he were seeing him for the first time in all these years.

"Boss, you have to come up with a plan. You have to make the Zhang family back down, no matter what. Dongzi is the only son of the Li family!"

"What can I do?" Li Yuejin's tone was somewhat distant. "Before I came, I told you to apologize honestly and listen to whatever I said."

Let your wife speak softly; women are easier to reason with.

Which of those things did you do? What are you trying to be clever about?

"Her insults were awful," Li Yuegang said, scratching his head. "You know my wife, how could she possibly come?"

"Then I have no choice."

"Boss, what do you mean?"

"Come apologize, what are you threatening them for?" Li Yuejin couldn't hold back any longer. "You almost got my squad leader killed."

"Dongzi is our only son, shouldn't you give him that squad leader position too?"

Li Yuejin stood there stunned, his eyes darting around for a long time, then turned and left without saying a word.

He hadn't taken more than two steps when he turned back and snatched the can of malted milk powder from his hand.

"Boss, what do you mean? Fine, I'll have Mom talk to you."

……

"The Li family is truly a scoundrel!"

At the dinner table, after hearing what had happened that afternoon, Zhang Jianshe's father's face turned as black as the bottom of a pot.

Zhao Hongwei got up and walked out. He was already tall and burly, and now that he was angry, he looked like a black bear that had come to life, which was frightening to look at.

"Bird, wait quietly." Zhang Fengxia pulled the person back.

"The Li family has four siblings. If things really come to a head, we'll be at a disadvantage," Zhang Jianshe sighed, clicking his teeth in worry. "This is going to be difficult!"

The four families together comprised more than twenty people, plus relatives and friends.

I can't stand them coming to block the door and beg for mercy every day.

It's possible that the villagers will try to smooth things over and force the family to accept it reluctantly.

"Why don't we talk to the person they scammed?" Zhang Wenhui said to her underling. "Don't you know them? Let them cause trouble for the Li family."

Zhang Wenshan's expression showed surprise.

I never expected my third sister to be so ruthless.

Once the matter escalates into a conflict between the two villages, then everyone will join forces to force the Li family to back down and admit defeat.

Unfortunately, the situation spiraled out of control, and the company itself was also at risk of exposure.

"There's no need for that." Zhang Wenshan turned to his mother and said, "You know the families who often play cards with Li Dong, right?"

Tomorrow I'll go find them and have a chat. I'll tell them I kept losing to them and couldn't take it anymore, so I cut ties with them.

The family members looked at each other, puzzled.

Zhang Wenhui was the first to realize: "They tampered with it?"